Family Ties
by kolchaksghost
Summary: Edward leaves Bella the same day Victoria and Laurent slaghter her family. She flees to San Francisco and discovers a family secret. She is the last surviving blood decedent of Julian Luna. Eventual Bella/Lillie femslash. Rated M because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

**Family Ties**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Kindred or Vampire: The Masquerade, I'm just playing with them._

Ch.1: All Alone and On the Run

_Bella_

It's been four days, eleven hours and forty-two minutes since my world came crashing down. Life is just non-stop pain. Edward Cullen tore my heart out, crushed it, and then left me alone in the woods. The last words he said just before leaving rip and tear at my mind like razor blades. _I don't want you. I don't love you. You're not good enough for me. You were nothing more than a trivial distraction. In time, you'll forget, it will be as if I never existed._

I was catatonic the first two days, then numb. My dad, Charlie, badgered me into going to La Push so that his friend, Billy Black, could keep an eye on me. Thanks to having gone to such an advanced High School back in Phoenix, I already have more than enough credits to graduate. So I was given the option to skip senior year, which I took. He's worried that I'll go all suicidal if I'm left alone to wallow, but that just isn't me. Charlie is too important to me to hurt like that.

Everything was going fine at Billy's. In fact, I didn't think about Edward or his family leaving once because he kept telling me stories about him and Charlie growing up. Then his son, Jacob, came home from school and ruined it. Jake is two years younger than me, but I always thought he was nice and would make a good friend if we took the time to really get to know each other. I hoped this would be a perfect opportunity for that, but Jake had other ideas.

His face lit up when he saw me on the couch, so he dropped his backpack and plopped down next to me. At first, things were normal as we caught up on what was going in town and on the reservation. You know the usual small talk. Then he stared crowding me and tried to manhandle me. I jumped up, attempting to leave, but he grabbed my wrist, spun me around and forcefully kissed me. I tried pushing him away but he was just too strong. On reflex, my right knee shot up into his crouch with as much strength as I could muster. That did the trick, Jake let go of me while doubled over from the pain.

I ran out the door and got in my truck. Seconds later I'm on the road, lead footing it as fast as the ancient vehicle can go. The nerve at that boy! What's worse is the fact that Billy did nothing to stop Jake. Charlie's going to be very ticked when I tell him. This might be the final nail in the coffin of that friendship.

Fifteen minutes later I pull up in front of the house. Charlie's cruiser was in the driveway. I remember he said something about picking up mom and Phil from the airport. Looks like there's going to be an Intervention in my near future. Resigned to my fate, I left the truck and headed to the front door. It was partially open and the nauseating scent of rust and salt hit me. I stayed on the porch, called 911 and waited for help to arrive.

It wasn't long before the entire police department of Forks, Washington, was on my doorstep – all four of them. The scene inside the house was horrific. My parents and Phil were torn to pieces and blood smeared over the walls. The killers even left a message:

**Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, we'll be back.**

**V & L**

The cops didn't know what to think. Me, I knew who had done this and what the message meant. Victoria and Laurent were coming for me and there was no place was safe because they would find me. The only protection I had against them was long gone. I was scared and needed to get the hell out of Dodge, fast. One of the officers followed me upstairs and waited while I threw clothes, my secret stash of money, the laptop and my passport into a duffle bag. Then I ran across the hall into Charlie's room and grabbed the box of my grandmother's stuff that we had found while cleaning the attic.

Throwing the duffel in the passenger's seat, I climbed into the truck and headed for the bank. The branch manager had already been informed about the murders and ushered me into her office as soon as I arrived. Tobias Scrimm, Charlie's lawyer was waiting inside as well. Together, we closed out both mine and my father's bank accounts and I told Tobias that I'd call him once I found someplace to stay so that he could finalize the estate. I said my goodbyes to both of them and drove as fast as I could out of Forks.

My truck finally crapped out in Portland, Oregon. I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the closest Mickey D's and hoofed it over to the bus depot. I asked for a ticket on the next bus out of town, threw down some cash and got on the bus the ticket agent indicated. I settled into a seat and prayed that my vampire stalkers didn't realize I had fled yet.

The bus left the depot headed South, and I forced myself to stay awake until it reached our destination; San Francisco. I had never been there before, under different circumstances I would've enjoyed the prospect of going there. Instead, I'm freaked out. My family is all gone and I'm all alone and on the run from a couple of psychotic vampires. God, my life sucks.

We pulled into the city at 3 a.m. and I trudged my weary body to closest motel. It was one of those pay by the hour, no-tell, kind of places. I went up to my room and collapsed on the bed. Oblivion claimed me before my head hit the pillow. In the morning I'd figure out what I was going to do.

The sun woke me up bright and early the next day, so I decided to get as much done as I could before everything from the week hit me all at once. The first order of business was to secure a post office box until I found a place to stay, and then let Mr. Scrimm know. Next, I needed to find a job, which meant after I got back from the post office, I would need to sit down and write a resume as well as go shopping to get Interview/Work Appropriate clothes. Last, but certainly not least, was finding a place to live.

I went down the front desk and asked for directions to the nearest post office. An hour later, I had a P.O. Box and passed the information along to my attorney. He told me that it would take another week to finalize Charlie's estate and once that was done he'd be in touch. My stomach had been growling while I was on the phone, so Chinese take-out was picked up on the way back to the motel. The place looked worse in the daylight, but it would have to do until I could find something better.

With a mouthful of Kung Pao Chicken, I plugged the wireless card into the laptop and turned it on. Once on the internet, checking the classified ads was a breeze, you just got to love the Information Age. I found four possible jobs and wrote down the details. The painful part was typing up a resume and posting it on a couple of those job sites. The ads for the four jobs that I had singled out listed e-mail addresses for the contact person for each. It took a few more minutes to write out e-mails to them and include a link to the job sites where my resume was posted. After that, I fell into bed and switched on the television for some background noise and went to sleep.

Morning came and I knew that I would have to go shopping today. Grudgingly, I showered, got dressed then headed for the nearest consignment shop. I actually got lucky and found a Junior League Thrift Store. Each member of the League donated high-end clothing and accessories that were sold at very affordable prices. I was able to pick out two interview outfits and three business appropriate ones. All in all, it was a very lucky shopping excursion.

It was mid-afternoon and I decided to do some exploring of my new home. San Francisco was a very beautiful place. Eventually, I knew that once things settled I would love it here. My stomach growled as I passed a place called The Haven. The smells that came through the door each time it opened made my mouth water. The place looked nice, and I could use a safe harbor for a couple of hours, so I went inside.

The Haven was part bar, part restaurant and part night club. I found myself a booth in the far corner and signaled a waitress for a menu. She took my order for chicken and cheese tortellini with a coke and went into the kitchen. I used the time waiting for my food to examine the room. There were a grand total of seven booths and eight tables. A bar went the length of the far wall and along the adjacent wall to its right was a small stage. The colors were various shades of red and gold that gave the place both an intimate and elegant feel. I could see myself spending a lot of my free time in a place like this.

Before the food could arrive, the weight of everything that had happened hit me. I cried and sobbed uncontrollably. Somebody came to side and rubbed soothing circles on my back. The coldness of their hand caused my head to snap up. Next to me was the most beautiful female vampire I'd ever seen. "Drain me, please," I begged softly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Family Ties**

Ch. 2: Lost and Found

_Lillie_

I observed The Haven's lunchtime crowd from my private apartment on the second floor. The heavily tinted, mirrored glass in the only window overlooking the interior guaranteed that nobody could see me while I kept tabs on things. The staff was well trained and could handle most mundane situations. Unfortunately, mundane situations weren't the norm. The Haven was neutral ground for the city's vampire community and as such, a vampire needed to be on site during business hours. Being a member of the Luna Coven usually meant that the other vampires were too scared to do anything stupid, most of the time.

My eyes were drawn to a young woman entering the restaurant below. She had pale skin and brown hair that looked like it would have red highlights in the sun. The woman was dressed casually, but had a few bags from the Junior League Thrift Store. She carried herself in a way that screamed new comer, and something else. Following my hunch, I concentrated on the girl until I could see her Aura and there it was plain as day.

The primary color of her Aura was sky blue and should have been vibrant. Instead, it was dull and hung about her in tatters. It looked almost the same as a person that was mentally unstable. I focused harder and noticed the other colors that streaked through her primary one. They indicated pain, loss, grief and fear. One color in particular, a mottled grey, showed that she had come into contact with the supernatural world.

The brunette took a seat in an out of the way booth that gave her a better view of the room. She gave her order to Grace then looked thoughtfully around the room, taking it all in. A few minutes later, she began to sob and cry. It was as if she had been put through the wringer and it all finally caught up to her. My own heart started to ache and I wanted nothing more than to comfort and protect this stranger. I felt myself being pulled into action. Without realizing it, I was at her side rubbing soothing circles gently on her back. As soon as my hand made contact, I could feel part of my Soul flow into her and part of hers flow into mine. Comprehension came in an instant; this beauty was my Soul Mate. My mind raced for a way to ease into this girl's life. There was no way I would let her go, not after waiting for over a century for her.

I could tell that she knew I was there the moment I arrived, and she dazzled me, briefly, when she jerked her head to look at me minutes later. Recognition dawned in her expression and I could see, clearly, all her pain and suffering echoed in her chocolate eyes. "Drain me," she pleads in a soft whisper, and I knew she knew that I was a vampire.

The other patrons had the good grace to find other things to watch than this girl having an emotional breakdown. I picked her up, cradled to my chest, and sprinted at human speed up the stairs to my apartment. Grace noticed and told me that she would bring the young woman's food upstairs. I put my precious cargo on Queen Anne sofa and flashed over to the door and closed it. She already knew what I was, so there was reason to hide what I could do.

She watched me, intently, focusing on my eyes as I made my way back to her. I couldn't help but laugh; the wind chime like sound filled the room. My superior hearing told me that another vampire was coming up the stairs. But it was my sense of smell that told me the vampire in question was Sasha Luna, my broodniece and coven mate. The two of us had planned to have a girl's night tonight. Some how I think the plan had changed.

Sasha entered holding the plate of tortellini my distraught companion had ordered. She placed the dish on the coffee table in front of the sofa and glanced at the weeping form there. In a voice full of shock and tenderness she stammered, "Bella?" The young woman looked up and launched herself into the other vampire's arms. "Sasha! You're a vampire," the human rasped between sobs.

Jealousy tore through me as I watched my broodniece clutch Bella closer her. The embrace seemed to go on for longer than necessary, and a low growl worked its way out of my throat. Sasha glanced over at me and arched a delicate eyebrow in question. _Soul Mate, _I mouthed. She nodded her head and smirked before mouthing her reply, _Human Cousin._ Instantly, I felt my body relax. The two of us shared another look that relayed our mutual horror that Bella knew about vampires. We needed to calm her down and get some answers because Julian was going to be pissed when he found out. Today had definitely taken an interesting turn.

Sasha lead her back to the sofa and Bella sat down then proceeded to fall on her food like a lumberjack. Grace came up to drop off the brunette's shopping bags and purse. I looked through the purse and found a key to a skuzzy motel near the bus depot and tossed it to Sasha without Bella noticing. The younger vampire looked upset that any relative of hers would stay in such a place and I felt the same way. That dive was practically a brothel.

When Bella finished her meal, she was stressed though no longer sobbing. She glanced quickly between me and Sasha then lowered her eyes to the floor. Before either of us asked a question, she took a deep breath and launched into her tale without being prompted. I could tell by her body language that she wanted to rid herself of the memories that ate at her soul. She left nothing out.

Bella told us about why she left her home in Phoenix to live with her dad in Forks, Washington. About the first time, that she had seen the Cullen siblings in school and Edward's reaction to her. How he had saved her from being crushed by a fellow student's van. The driving need to figure out what he was, and the moment she did. When he saved her in Port Angeles, then later how they fell in Love. James tracking her to Phoenix and almost killing her, only to be rescued by Edward and his family. Jacob Black's veiled threat delivered to her at Prom. What happened at her disastrous 18th birthday party; then how Edward had taken her into the woods and all the horrible things he had said.

By the time she had finished, the girl was in tears again and there were two very pissed off vampires that wanted to hunt down Mr. Edward Cullen and end his twisted existence. Bella eventually cried herself to sleep and muttered, occasionally, "I'm sorry I wasn't good enough."

Sasha looked out over the crowd and noticed her mate, Cash, and Julian enter The Haven. She pulled out her cell phone and sent them a text to come upstairs. The two of us only had seconds before the boys arrived to figure out the best way to explain the situation. Before we came up with anything, Cash and Julian were in the apartment looking at the sleeping human on my sofa. I sucked in a deep breath and told Bella's story in a voice so low, only vampires could hear. Sasha filled in the gaps.

As predicted, Julian was pissed, while Cash and I were shocked to learn who Bella really was. Back in the '60's, before Archon stepped down, Julian went through college for the second time. While there, he met and fell in love with Marie Fatelli, a human. They were secretly married but the marriage didn't last long. Several Covens formed an alliance with the Fiori Coven in an attempt to overthrow Archon. Julian returned home and became his Sire's Enforcer. He knew that if anybody found out about Marie, they would use her against him. Therefore, he sent her into hiding. What he didn't know was that she was pregnant at the time and kept in contact with his human descendants. His son, Charlie, didn't show any sign of being a hybrid. Marie changed her name to Swan and raised the boy in Forks. Eventually he married and had a child, Isabella Marie Swan, Julian's granddaughter.

Julian watched his human grandchild sleep while Cash and Sasha went to check Bella out of her motel and collect her things. There was a room at the Luna Mansion that would be ready by the time everyone got back. I knew that it wasn't the best time to say anything, but I told my broodbrother about Bella being my Soul Mate. I explained that I wouldn't try to rush her into anything. That I would wait until she realized it for herself. He agreed with me and told me he would be the one to Change her when she turned 21. We just needed to keep her safe until then.

He picked up Bella and carried her down to his limo, while I followed behind him. There were quite a few vampires in The Haven, so Julian let it be known clearly that Isabella Marie Luna was my mate and that if any vamp tried to hurt her, they would meet their second death. I had no doubt that the word would spread. Not even the members of the Fiori Coven would attempt anything. Julian almost wiped them out when one of them had made a move to force the Change on a still human Sasha.

The ride back to the mansion was silent as we both watched Bella sleep.

_Julian_

Cash and Sasha had beaten us back home, so the rest of the Family was gathered in the entryway to catch a glimpse of our latest addition. Lillie and I exited the limo while Bella slept peacefully in my arms. The front door was opened and I headed up the stairs and lowered my granddaughter onto the bed. The others had followed, and when the each had a good look at Isabella, I lead them back down to the study to talk because I had felt the barley contained anger in all of them. We all needed to vent and calm down before morning.

Once in the study, we had each taken our accustomed chairs. On the table to right of my chair were file folder, a new looking journal and a sealed letter that had yellowed with age. The others waited as I read the letter first. It was from Marie and it explained how she documented her and our son's lives in a series of diaries, as well as Bella's childhood. She hoped that I would eventually find my true Soul Mate and that she had no regrets. I smiled, and then passed the letter off to Caitlin, my wife and Soul Mate to read. Cash informed me that a box of old diaries was on the desk in my office.

We discussed Bella's story in detail. I was shocked to learn that the others had read Bella's journal before Lillie and I arrived. They indicated that it would help me better understand her thoughts on everything that had happened to her. What was in those pages told the story of a selfless young woman that did not see herself clearly. Her sole motivation was making sure the ones she loved were safe. The only Cullen to blame for what happened was Edward. The only thing that upset me was her idea to sacrifice herself to prevent this Victoria and Laurent from hurting more innocent people.

The file folder contained all the information from the official police investigation of the murders of my son, his ex-wife and her husband and the crime scene photos. This I put aside for the moment and looked around the room at my family. We had much to discuss and they was little time left until the sleeping young woman upstairs awoke.

"I am planning to keep Bella here, where I know it is safe. We all know the Law, she knows about our kind and must either join us, or be killed. Unlike the idiot that broke her, I will Change her when she turns 21. I need to know your thoughts, if you believe that the risk is too great, I could send her live with the Khan Coven," I calmly opened the discussion.

"She is _**Family**_, Julian. The first lesson we were all taught by Archon, then by you, is that Family comes before everything else. It doesn't matter if you were changed then adopted in, or if you're a blood descendent of the Luna line; Family is Family! I lost her once, when I had to leave my human life behind and I doubt I'd be able to do it again," Sasha commented passionately.

There was another message in her eyes; remorse for not telling me about Charlie and Isabella. With what had happened to her, those two were all that was left of my direct bloodline, and she wanted to keep them safely hidden. The small smile and nod I gave her conveyed that I understood and approved. Sasha relaxed, and I knew that I had trained her well.

The seriousness of the moment was broken when Sonny, Frank and Cash all yelled, "Yeah, Julian, Bros before Ho's!" I could tell they were not just excited to get a future broodsister, but honestly concerned about her welfare.

"You know that I always wanted a big family. I'd love another daughter, there is just too much testosterone in the mansion," Caitlin sweetly stated. She truly loved Sonny, Cash, Sasha and Frank as her own children. It didn't matter to her that Sonny and Frank were her age, or that Sasha and Cash were only slightly younger.

I didn't need Lillie's response because I already knew that it was her Soul Mate sleeping upstairs and she wouldn't let anything happen to her. That left just Archon and Daedalus to hear from. My head turned toward my broodbrother to hear his council.

"As much as I adore Sun Yi Khan, I would not want her teaching my niece her barbarous ways. If we cannot keep one of our own safe, then perhaps we should allow the Fiori to rip us to shreds," he stated, his voice still holding traces of his native Italian accent.

Archon, who had been observing this whole time, leaned against the marble fireplace. He spoke in a whisper, but his German accent filled the room, "The liebshin stays."

With that issue decided, we moved on the to the stalled murder investigation in Forks. Sonny informed us that his contacts up in Washington State are at a dead end. They were told to transfer all files and evidence collected to the Department of Homeland Security. There were murmurs of concern at the news from everyone but Frank. He sat there with a smug smile on his face. I looked at him pointedly for an explanation.

"I spoke to an old Marine Corps buddy of mine, Phillip Broyles," he began as the others quieted down. "He works for the DHS as the head of something called the Fringe Division. The purpose of that division is to investigate threats of an advanced scientific nature. Some of the DNA collected at the Forks crime scene was linked to an old FBI investigation, Case File X-092135. Phillip said the file is joke, that the Agent that led the investigation was insane. He's willing to send me the file as a favor, though," he finished.

I laughed as I absorbed this. "That will not be necessary. I have the original FBI file in my office. Agent Fox Moulder came very close to exposing our existence on that investigation. Fortunately, for us, both his partner and his supervisor were vampires of the D.C. Coven. Unfortunately for Mr. Moulder, he became dinner for the Coven as a result of his investigation. We will discuss the case later, Bella will be up soon and she is our first priority," I explained to them before I made my way back upstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Family Ties**

_Disclaimer: You already know…_

Ch. 3: Family

_Bella_

The nightmare of Edward leaving slowly faded and I was glad that it didn't seem as bad as it had been. It was as if something inside me had changed. For the first time, in a long time, I felt completely safe. That I wasn't alone anymore, and awareness of the past twenty-four hours filtered back into my head. I had been at a restaurant/club for lunch and had a breakdown. Then the vampire came and comforted me, she was so beautiful. Something happened when she touched me and she took me upstairs. Another vampire showed up with some food. Sasha! The other vampire was my cousin, Sasha. I don't remember too much after that.

My eyes opened and I knew that I wasn't back at my hotel. The room was painted a terra cotta color and the furniture was all hand made from darkly stained oak. It felt like the designer was going for an Italian Villa kind of feel. The bed was a California King with a thick, but soft, mattress. There was movement by the door that was meant to just catch my attention, rather than startle me. A male vampire stood by the door and watched me to gauge my reactions.

There was no way I would ever be frightened of this man, even if he were a human drinker. I had seen his image since I was a child. The slicked back black hair, black dress pants with black dress shoes and lighter colored dress shirt. One blue eye and one black completed the image of my grandfather, Julian Luna. Grandma Swan told me stories about him when I was little. It appeared there were parts of the stories that she edited out.

"Grandpa Julian? Where am I? How did I get here? Were you a vampire when you were married to Grandma? What's going to happen to me? Is this real, or have I finally cracked," I asked in a single breath, confusion plain in my expression.

Grandpa flashed to my side at vampire speed and knelt before me. With his right hand, he caressed my cheek. "You look so much like your grandmother, Marie," he whispered. He pulled me into a hug then sat down in the chair by the bed.

He chuckled then continued, "Yes, I am your grandfather, but please call me Julian. Grandpa makes me sound like an old man. You are currently in my home; I brought you here last night after you fell asleep at The Haven. I was a vampire when I was with Marie and I sent her into hiding to keep her safe. She never told me about your father or you, but she did keep in touch with some of my other descendents. I assure you that this is very real. You have not yet gone insane, though it is a miracle after what you have had to endure. As for what is going to happen to you, you will live here. Because our law states that a human who finds out about us must either be killed or Changed, I will Change you when you turn 21."

My mind mulled over everything he said and picked up the important points; I would be living here and he was going to Change me. Ever since I met the Cullen's, I've wanted to be a vampire. I may have conned myself into believing that I wanted it so that I could spend eternity with Edward, but the truth was becoming a vampire felt like it was what I was meant for. When I was abandoned, that dream was lost, now my grandfather offered it to me again. The only issue I had was whether or not he would leave me as the others did.

"Will you leave me," I barely whispered. Everything else I could handle, but being left again would kill me.

Instantly, Julian pulled me back into his arms and rocked me. When he spoke again, his voice was filled with love and promise. "You are my Family, by blood and soon venom. I will never leave you, none of us will. You will never be alone again."

He released me and headed for the door. Before he left, he told me to get dressed and come downstairs to meet the rest of the Family. When he saw my nervousness, he explained that everybody already knew my story and there was no need to be embarrassed. That wasn't the reason for the nerves, but it helped calm me down. I grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the en suite to take a long, hot, shower.

Twenty minutes later, I followed the smell of sausage and pancakes downstairs and into the professional, chef's style, kitchen. There was a woman with shoulder length blonde hair at the stove. She turned and smiled at me, another vampire.

"I'm Caitlin Byrne-Luna, Julian's wife. You're…Isabella?" She introduced herself and made the last part a question. Her smile faded a little and her brow furrowed as she took a better look at me. I knew what she saw, a girl that hadn't been taking good care of herself; somebody that didn't eat regularly and it showed. I also hadn't slept well in days.

I looked sheepish at her scrutiny. "The name on my real birth certificate is Isabella Marie Luna. The fake one says my last name is Swan. Either way, I prefer to be called Bella, Isabella sounds too much like an old mobster's wife," I responded.

Caitlin laughed and nodded in agreement. She loaded up a plate with food then led me into a Victorian style Day room. Julian and six other vampires waited for us to sit down. One of them was my cousin, Sasha. Her naturally curly red hair hung down to her shoulders. She was wearing tailored black slacks with a white pinstripe and a fitted white blouse. What stood out the most for me were her eyes, they were still the same vibrant green they had been while she was human. In fact, all of the vampires in here seem to have retained their original eye color.

As I started to eat, Julian motioned to the man sitting next to Sasha. "This is Cash, Sasha's mate and my head of Security. Next to him is Lillie, whom you have already met. The black gentleman is Sonny and next to him is Frank; they are partners on the Police Force. The bald man is Daedalus and the older man that looks like a Viking Chieftain is Archon," he indicated to me.

"Lillie and Daedalus are my brood siblings. We were Changed, or Sired, by Archon. He is my biological great-grandfather. I Sired the others. As you have noticed, there are some differences between us and other vampires. We have kept our natural eye color; they still turn black when we are thirsty and flash golden, in deference to our feeding on animals, whenever we are angry. Our skin does not sparkle in sunlight. These are traits we have inherited from Archon and allow us to interact with humans virtually undetected.

"Our family, the Luna Coven, is the Volturi's Sword Arm in North and South America. The Kahn Coven is their Sword Arm in the Orient. The Volturi lead us, we and the Kahns act as enforcers/magistrates. I have already phoned Italy and informed the Volturi of your status. They look forward to meeting you after your change," he explained.

I finished my breakfast and processed what he just told me. Surprisingly, nothing shocked me. The only thing that made me nervous was the stupid fear that this family, _my_ family, wouldn't like me. Lillie sat next to me and placed her left hand over my right. The nervousness fled and was replaced by a sense of rightness.

Where her skin touched mine, fire spread through me. My broken heart mended and flooded with an overpowering sense of love and want. I tried to force those thoughts and feeling to the back of my mind, but was only partially successful. To help me focus, I looked around the room and examined each member of my new family.

Cash was around five foot ten and had a medium build. His short, sandy brown, hair was styled in tousled spikes. His chiseled features made him look ruggedly handsome while his hazel eyes constantly surveyed the room. He wore jeans, a rock t-shirt boots. "'Sup, lil' sis," he mused playfully. Sasha just rolled her eyes and smiled.

Sonny was six feet tall with his curly black hair cut close and moustache neatly trimmed. His dark skin and eyes were the color of milk chocolate. He wore high-end street clothes and had a gold shield that hung from a chain around his neck.

Frank was the same height as Cash but with piercing blue-grey eyes. Like Sonny, he was dressed in the same kind of designer street clothes. The only difference was that his gold shield was clipped to his belt. The partners flashed over to me and each kissed one of my cheeks with a loud smack then laughed as they headed out for work.

Daedalus was six feet two, bald and had deep green eyes. He was built like an Olympic wrestler and dressed like a stereotypical College Professor. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear, but I must be going. I have an Engineering class that I must teach in an hour and need to leave. Welcome to the Family," he said with just a hint of an Italian accent.

Archon was by far the most physical presence in the room. He stood at six feet four and well muscled. His salt and pepper hair hung down to his shoulders and his weathered face indicated that he had been Changed in his late forties or early fifties. His muted green eyes held the wisdom of the ages. Despite the gruff exterior, there was something in his body language that spoke of gentleness as well

He smiled and lifted a glass up to toast me, then downed the contents. Such a human act from the ancient vampire greatly endeared him to me. "Julian was right, Liebling, you do look like his Marie. You will bring great honor to our family," his thickly accented German voice commented. I thanked him for the compliment.

Finally, my eyes fell on Lillie. She was the most beautiful vampire I had ever seen. Rosalie looked like second runner up at the Westminster Dog Show compared to the vision next to me. Her deep red hair hung loosely down past her shoulders. Electric blue eyes looked out from her perfectly oval face. Her full, kissable, lips were stained with a soft pink lipstick. The designer dress she wore clung to her like a second skin. Everything about her made my heart rate jump and breathing hitch. All I wanted to do was crawl into her lap and snuggle close.

Holy crap! I shouldn't have felt anything like this, not so soon after _**HE**_ left me. For some reason I can't seem to find the motivation to care about the timing or the fact the she is a woman. The only thing the mattered was how to get our bodies pressed closer together.

The others quickly left; Sasha and Cash snickered but didn't say a word while they exited. After an awkward couple of minutes, Lillie and I adjourned to the family room and watched old movies cuddled up on the couch. At one point, I couldn't resist the urge any longer, so I leaned over and softly kissed her on the lips.

She kissed me back and smiled. Thankfully, she didn't press the issue and we went back to watching movies. My mind whirled with everything that was implied with that kiss. There was only one thing that I knew for sure, no matter what I may or may not have felt, I was not going to rush into anything. In fact, I was going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming.


	4. Chapter 4

**Family Ties**

_Disclaimer: I only own little Willow Luna._

Ch. 4: Like sands through the hourglass

_***Six Months Later***_

_Lillie_

Bella slept peacefully curled into my side. My fingers lightly traced up and down her back and her body arched into my touch as her the scent of her arousal filled the room. I still haven't gotten over the way her responded to me, even in sleep. It had only been four months since she finally caved and we had gotten together and I hoped the rush of it all never faded.

After that first kiss we shared, Bella had a minor freak out. She refused to admit her true feelings, or the attraction, she felt for me, not even to herself. The others and I watched as she struggled to deny it for two months. She never realized that whenever we were in the same room she just gravitated toward me or frequency with which she just touched me for no apparent reason. There were other signs that she seemed clueless of as well.

Not that I made those month any easier for her. In fact, I made them quite difficult while at the same time keeping my word to Julian. I never pursued the human girl. No, passive/aggressive was a more apt description of how I behaved. Every day I wore skin tight, revealing clothes. Sasha and Caitlin helped out by buying me more outfits to supplement my wardrobe because I was more into elegance than slutwear.

I would brush against her whenever I walked past. Hell, I even brought "dates" home to snuggle with on the couch while she was there. Eventually it was too much for Bella. She came by The Haven and cornered me in my upstairs apartment. The torment in her eyes broke my unbeating heart.

"Lillie, I can't stop myself from loving you. I've tried but I came to realize that you are holding the missing part of my soul and somehow I hold the missing part of yours. I know I'm plain and you could do far better than…," she began before I cut her off with a slow, deep, passionate kiss.

I pulled back and whispered, "You are my Soul Mate and have been since the moment I fist met you. I knew you were in pain and promised Julian that I would not pursue you, or force myself on you. Do you have any idea how hard that was wanting you and not getting to have you? Patience in not my strong suit, but now, sweet Vixen, you've come to me and I'm not letting you go."

She moaned and molded herself to my body as I pulled her into a steely embrace. We spent the next four day never leaving my bed. The only times our lovemaking stopped was when Bella needed to sleep or eat. When we finally returned to the mansion, we had to endure another two days of playful teasing from the others; they were happy for us.

I forced myself to stop trailing my fingers along my beloved's back because she needed her sleep. We had only arrived in New Orleans a few hours ago and Marti Gras started tonight. This was our first vacation together and we both had things planned for our time here.

_Carlisle_

I surveyed the completed restoration work on our new home in Ithaca, New York. Nobody would have ever guessed that it had been a rush job. Esme preferred to take her time with restoration work but the need to beat a hasty retreat from Alaska squashed that plan. We all prayed that there would not be another rushed move anytime soon.

When Edward forced us to leave Bella six months ago, we went to our home in Alaska. He went into a deep depression that ultimately led to a psychotic break. Two weeks into our exile, Alice took him shopping and Edward had seen a brunette girl with brown eyes. He ran up to her, fell to his knees, then begged for her forgiveness. The frightened girl was about to alert Security, when Alice explained to her that her brother had just lost somebody that other girl resembles.

The following months just got worse. The entire family listened to him as he ranted in his room every night. In his mutterings, he accused a phantom Bella of cheating on him with various men; most notably Jacob Black. Last week, while out hunting he came across a couple of lovers camping out. The girl had the misfortune of having brown hair and eyes. Edward snapped, draining both humans dry before he mangled the bodies.

Rosalie had been the first one to find him and the mess. She quickly made it appear as though the couple had been attacked by a pack of animals. Only later was she repulsed by her brother and what he had forced her to do. We expedited our move to Ithaca despite Edward's protests to move back to Forks.

Leaving Bella had destroyed my family despite my son's assurance that we protected her by doing it. We had argued with him not to force the issue but he never listened. Now we stayed away to protect her from Edward, there was no telling what he might do to her.

_***2 Years***_

_Bella_

I watched as Lillie lay Willow down in her Disney Princess bed. They were the two most beautiful creatures in all of creation; my loving wife and our miracle child. When I had been with Edward, having children never crossed my mind. Now, I know what I would've missed if he had given in to my begging and Changed me. Not that I forgive the controlling prick for what he did.

When Lillie and I came back from New Orleans I started to feel sick. At first everyone thought that it was a bug and nothing to worry about. After a few weeks, Lillie insisted that I to the Hospital. Caitlin smiled knowingly as she waited with me in the Emergency Room. I was shocked when the doctor told me I was pregnant and don't remember how I got back out to the car.

"Mom, how is this possible," I asked shakily. Caitlin had beamed when I started calling her mom, but it was true. She had taken better care of me in the short time I had lived in San Francisco than Renee had the first seventeen years of my life, just like Esme had before her.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, we'll figure it out and everything will be fine," she cooed soothingly and gently patted my arm.

The rest of the family was ecstatic over the news. Lillie walked around for the next week with a smug smile on her face because she knocked me up. Caitlin and Sasha designed and decorated the baby's nursery and Julian notified the Volturi; then he and Archon combed through all the myths, legends and vampire history for clues.

Their search led them to South America and a vampire named Joham that they had to destroy because he impregnated woman so that they would give birth to his "Master Race." The insane vampire thought of himself as a Scientist and kept detailed notes on his "Experiments and Theories."

I had been fortunate and my pregnancy lasted the normal nine months. It gave us enough time to prepare for any contingency. During that time, my Soul Mate dragged me off to Vermont to make an honest woman of me. When the day arrived, Willow Jane Luna was born after eighteen hours of torturous labor. Her Godmother, Jane Volturi was there along with Aro, Caius and Marcus.

When Willow stopped nursing, I enrolled in the Police Academy. You had to be twenty-one to be a cop, but I could still go to the Academy and work as a Dispatcher after graduation. Once I was eligible for active duty I would already have a year's seniority over the other Rookie Cops.

Lillie sauntered up to me after our baby girl was tucked in and gave me a hug. The fire in her eyes told me that she wanted more. I looked at my watched and led her back to our room; there was still two hours before my shift started. Sometimes being the Third Watch Dispatcher had its advantages.

As the action started to heat up, I wondered if calling off would be a good idea. It had been a couple of months since the wife and I had any quality time that hadn't rushed because of our schedules.

_Esme_

Edward had gone completely insane. At least three more brown eyed, brunette girls were dead because of his insanity. As much as I loved my eldest son, he had gone too far. The rest of the family and I tried to convince my husband that the time had come to destroy the wretched creature Edward had become. Unfortunately, Carlisle's compassion wouldn't allow it if there was still a chance our son could be saved.

My husband chose to strip Edward of the Cullen name and close out his bank accounts before he had the boy locked up in an Asylum run by an old vampire friend of his. Unlike Carlisle, I knew there would be no cure for Edward outside of death. I hoped that this choice would not come back to haunt us.

_Unknown Person_

I ripped the female to shreds and while I was thrilled that another bitch was dead, it wasn't Bella Swan. That whore ruined my life and needed to be taught a lesson. I tried to follow her trail after she disappeared from Forks but lost her trail in Oregon. At first I thought she would stick to the small towns, but she didn't. Then I figured she'd go to one of the last places a vampire would look for her, Sunny California. After staring at a state map, I decided that San Francisco would be a logical choice.

I humped out to the road and stuck my thumb out; California here I come.

_***3 Years***_

_Julian_

I had changed Bella after she had been a Dispatcher for six months. She had taken to immortality as if it were her natural state. While she never experienced the bloodlust associated with being a Newborn, she did suffer the intense mood swings of one. Thankfully, Frank faked an injury and kept an eye on her during his "recovery."

When she finally got control of her emotions, she got assigned to active duty on the SFPD. Bella excelled on the Force as well. My daughter, aided by her gift to see the past, was the rising star of the Force. She was well on her way to becoming the City's youngest Detective. I even let her take over as the head of the Enforcers, vampire cops that act in a similar capacity as the Volturi Guard.

"There's been a weird murder up in Sacramento. It's been reported as an animal attack but something doesn't feel right, so I sent Ling and Hollister to follow up on it," Bella told me from the door of my office, and snapped me from my trip down memory lane.

She walked in and placed a file on my desk with all the relevant information, including a similar attack that had taken place last year on the California/Oregon border. If her instincts told her there was something more to this, then I would back her play. Bella looked at me for a second and bit her lip. She only got that way when she wanted something from me.

"Dad, the Enforcers, minus the two in Sac, will be here in an hour for the weekly briefing. Could you sit in, I promised Willow a trip to the zoo today," Bella asked hopefully.

"Absolutely. You, Lillie and my delightful grandchild go have fun at the zoo. Just don't be surprised if there is company when you get back," I responded a bit guarded.

My daughter stiffened and watched my expression carefully, damn verbal clues. "Outside of Jane, who's coming out to chain Daedalus to a bed in the pool house, who else will be here," she puzzled.

"The Cullen's have moved here so that Carlisle to work on a research project for me. They arrived this morning and are settling in as we speak. As far as I know, _**HE**_ is not with them," I explained somewhat reluctantly.

"Daddy, I don't blame them for what Edward did to me. In fact, I've missed them. Now I need get ready before Willow gets too worked up," she laughed and headed up to her and Lillie's room.

_Maria_

The scarred vamp in front of me kissed my hand and asked me if I would like to help exact revenge on a pathetic human named Bella Swan. He handed me a large manila envelope that had pictures of her that were at least three years old that had been taken in San Francisco. I told him that I doubted that she would still be there, but he insisted that that was where her trail ended. He was certain she was there.

I watched the sun set over the desert of Southeastern Texas and mulled the idea over. Personally, I didn't give a shit about this fool's problem with the girl, but I did have a score to settle with Archon Raine. In the end, that decided it for me. I would make that bastard and his lapdog, Julian Luna, suffer for their constant interference in my plans.


	5. Chapter 5

**Family Ties**

Ch. 5: Reunion

_Carlisle_

My family and I had just settled into our new house that overlooked the Bay and got ready to go me the Luna Coven. I had known Julian Luna for the better part of two centuries and was surprised when he called out of the blue to offer me a research position. I had explained that I was a medical doctor but he assured me that research in question was medical in nature. We were all nervous about being here.

This was the first time that we had lived in a place where the risk of possible exposure was great. Jasper postulated that the job offer was an excuse for the Volturi get rid of us, should one of us get caught out in the sunlight. I doubted that, while Julian and his Coven had taken their job as the Volturi's Sword Arm seriously, he never went out of his way to set up anybody. He was too honorable a man for that.

Alice picked out what she believed were the perfect outfits for each of us, and she had done an excellent job. Dressed to impress, we made our way out to the garage. We climbed into the Yukon Denali and I drove to the Luna Mansion. I had been here once before, shortly after it was built and it still looked as impressive as ever. The gates opened automatically and I parked the vehicle near the front door.

The front door was opened by a younger male. None of the others had realized that he was a vampire until we were next to him. I had never told my family about the special quirks that were part of the Luna's. He introduced himself as Cash and led us into the study. Julian sat in a comfortable wing-backed chair. He rose and instructed our guide to bring the others.

Seconds later the rest of the Luna Coven had assembled in front of us. At least I thought they had, but Julian appeared to be looking for someone. With an exasperated sigh, he decided to press on.

"Carlisle, old friend, it has been too long. Allow me to introduce the rest of my Cover. You already know Archon and my broodsiblings, Daedalus and Lillie," he began indicating the older man, the bald man and the red haired woman on his right.

"Beside me is my wife, Caitlin, and our children; Sonny, Cash, his mate Sasha, and Frank. There are two more members, but they are otherwise occu…'" he continued but was interrupted by a young girl with reddish brown hair, who ran in screaming.

"Grandpa, grandpa, Auntie Jane bought me a puppy," she squealed in delight. She was about to jump on him when she finally noticed my family and I. She got really quiet blushed before she partially hid behind Julian.

Two female vampires ghosted into the room seconds later. The smaller of them was Jane Volturi. The other was somebody I never thought any of us would see again. She made her way to Julian then kissed him on the cheek before she picked up the little girl and stood beside Lillie. The rest of my family was as stunned as I had been.

"I believe you already know my daughter, Isabella. The little one in her arms is my last living descendant, Willow Jane Luna," our host commented and an awkward silence followed.

The situation was exacerbated when Willow looked at Bella and Lillie and asked, "Mommies, can I go with Auntie Jane and play with my puppy outside?" Both women nodded then kissed her cheek before Bella lowered her to the floor. She started to run to the diminutive Volturi but tripped halfway there. That simple action snapped my family out of our shock.

Emmett's booming laugh filled the room and he choked out, "She's Bella's kid, alright." The rest of us chuckled while Jane took Willow out of the room.

There were many questions that needed to be answered but we stilled needed to observe the formalities. I introduced the members of my family and we all sat down. I knew from the looks on my family's faces that they were excited to see Bella again and were all dieing to learn how this came to be.

"Rosalie, would you like to go outside with Willow. I think she should get to know her other Aunt/Godmother better, don't you," Bella commented to my eldest daughter.

_Rosalie_

When Bella said those words, I didn't need any other invitation; I bolted from the room and followed the sounds of Willow's laughter outside. Part of me realized that a few years ago, I would've been jealous. Now, I'm just happy to be given the opportunity to right the wrongs I made in the past. I sat down next to Jane and the two of us watched the little girl play with her puppy.

Jane told me all about Bella's past and Willow being her daughter. I was sorry that she had to go through such horrible crap because of my psycho brother, but I was happy for her that she had found her Soul Mate. The best part was that she hadn't had to give up the ability to be a mother. She also explained about Joham and that Carlisle would be trying to see if some of his theories on vampire pregnancy could be viable.

I was happy that she gave the short version of things so that we could then play with Willow. Bella had called me her Aunt/Godmother and I wanted nothing more than to be worthy of that. One of the things that Jane told me was that Bella still considered herself part of my family. We played for a couple of hours more before the little darling was worn out. Jane let me carry her inside and up to her room. I placed the now sleeping child in her bed and went back to the study. Moving here wasn't such a bad idea after all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Family Ties**

Ch. 6: Convergence

_Unkown Person_

I'd been in San Francisco for a couple of months and just waited and watched the whole time. Now, I observed the brown eyed brunette girl as she tucked her daughter in. The stupid whore hadn't even sensed I was in the house, or the danger she was in. This place was isolated and nobody else was home, that meant that I could take my time. My lips curled up into an anticipatory smile.

As the clueless girl entered her bedroom, I crept up behind her. She spun around when my foot slammed the door behind me. Her eyes widened in shock but before she screamed my right hand arced out. The force of my blow knocked her to the bed. Tears fell down her cheeks, the knowledge she would die settled in her eyes.

The slut screamed in terror and pain as I thrust deep and hard into her. Her hips were crushed by the force I used. The frenzy came over me, I tore the girl into bits and her blood coated the walls. My orgasm brought me to my knees. The last thought that filtered through my mind before I wallowed in the blood of my victim was too bad it wasn't Bella Swan.

_Maria_

My scarred ally watched nervously as the thirty Newborns drained the busload of screaming humans. Thankfully, this had been the most secluded warehouse on the outskirts of San Jose. I laugh at how some of my soldiers play with their food, and look to my Right Hand to deal with the resultant mess.

Forty-five minutes away, my enemies went on with their unlives not knowing that the wolf was at their door. All too soon, I would have my revenge. The smoke from the fires that consumed the remains of the Luna Coven would be sweet incense to Gods of War. Tomorrow, I would send scouts to get the lay of the land.

_Edward_

I escaped from that snake pit of an asylum and spent a month tracking down my family. It hadn't taken much, just a trip to Seattle and a little one on one with Mr. J. Jenks, attorney and forger extraordinaire.

The bellhop dropped my luggage in my room and left with a hefty tip. I made my way over to the window and gazed out over the amazing view of the San Francisco Bay. Tomorrow, I will seek out the others then nothing will stop me going back to my Angel.


	7. Chapter 7

**Family Ties**

Ch. 7: All Hell Breaks Loose Pt. 1

_Edward_

It had only taken me four hours to locate the Cullen house on one of the hills that overlooked the city. I watched the house from some nearby trees and made sure my scent never alerted my _Family_ to my presence. Carlisle left just after 8 a.m. but nobody else had inclined to show themselves.

When noon arrived, a car pulled up to the driveway. Esme and Rosalie ran out of the front door and removed a small girl from a carseat in the back of the vehicle. It pulled away and I noticed a red headed woman behind the wheel. At first glance, she appeared to be vampire but had some very odd characteristics.

After the car was gone, Esme went back inside and my sister stayed out front and played with the child. The little girl shared some features with _my_ Bella and could pass as her daughter, but that was impossible. My Angel would never have betrayed me in such a manner. I needed to find out who she was. Twenty minutes later, Rose went inside to get the child a drink. This presented the perfect opportunity for answers.

Before I left the cover of the trees, Emmett and Jasper were on me. I had been so intent on my surveillance that I failed to hear their approach either physically or mentally. Now that I paid attention, their attacks were futile; my mind reading allowed me to out maneuver them. When Rosalie joined the fight, things became tricky.

"Where is my mate," I demanded then dodged Jaspers attack.

"You psychotic fuck; she isn't your mate anymore. She's moved on and is happy. That little girl is her daughter. Do you honestly believe Bella'd throw her family away for a monster like you," Rose hissed.

NO! My Bella, my Angel was just a traitorous as the rest of my so-called family. I heard Emmett's thoughts just before he tried to grapple me from behind. Using my speed to my advantage, I flipped onto his back and brought my razor sharp teeth to his throat. Just as they were about to rend his granite flesh, pain coursed through my body.

I fell to the ground as screams of agony pushed their way past my lips. My ears nearly failed to register the approach of diminutive foot steps. A petite vampire dressed head to toe in black stopped next to my prone form.

"That will be quite enough," Jane sneered then intensified the level of pain I felt.

Rose and Jasper ran over to check on Emmett. The pain left me and the last thing I saw was Jane twist a metallic object. Flames engulfed me, only now at the end, did some small sense of sanity returned. I knew that justice had found me at last. Before the afterlife claimed me I cursed Bella Swan to the deepest pits of Hell.


	8. Chapter 8

**Family Ties**

_Disclaimer: I own everything….NOT!_

**AN: Sorry for the delay in this update. I promise the next one won't be as long of a wait.**

Ch. 8: All Hell Breaks Lose Pt.2

_Jasper_

The business with Edward earlier in the day had made all of us a bit jumpy. Willow had become quite special to all of us in the short amount of time we've been here. Like Bella, that little girl was unquestionably part of our family, even if they were both Luna's. That was a concept I still had trouble wrapping my mind around, Bella not just being in the Luna Coven, but an actual blood descendent. My little sister had just been full of surprises.

It was after dark now and I needed to get ready for work, my fashion obsessed wife clucked her tongue in disapproval as I put on a pair of dark jeans, grey long-sleeved collarless shirt, and dark peacoat. My shiny new gold shield and Glock .40 automatic pistol were clipped to my belt. Thanks to Julian, I was now a detective with the SFPD and Bella's new partner.

Apparently, it was some kind of payback because she ran off all her other partners. As soon as I was ready, I ran down to the Yukon that served as our cruiser then went to pick up Bella at the Luna's. Thankfully, Willow distracted my wife by asking to play Fashion Show and I got out of the house without being forced to change.

An alert came over the radio then Dispatch called our unit number to respond to a report of two dead bodies in Golden Gate Park. I hadn't even stopped when Bells jumped into the passenger seat and flipped the lights and siren on. The two of us shared a look that meant we both felt this wasn't going to be good.

"You think this is related to those "animal attacks" you flagged for the Enforcers, or those string of recent disappearances," I asked but already knew the answer.

"It could go either way, both make my dick itch," she answered as she mulled over both sets of incidents.

San Francisco had been plagued by a rash of missing person's cases and at least three fatal animal attacks in a short amount of time. Like Bella, I believed that both were not what they seemed. The Enforcers that went up to Sacramento to examine the site where the woman was attacked there said nothing about it felt natural. It was like the scene was staged for effect.

The disappearances were another matter, entirely. Just based on my own history, they had all the earmarks of a Newborn Army being assembled or staged. I hoped I was wrong, but even Bella agreed that is was a possibility. The Enforcers were all on high alert, just in case. I even ran everyone through a brief training session on Newborn elimination.

We arrived at the park and I just drove up to about twenty yards of the crime scene tape before I threw it into park. Bella and I jumped out and froze before we made three steps in the direction of the tape. A hideous smell reached from where the bodies were. I new it right away as being from one of those filthy mutts from La Push back in Washington. What surprised me was that my partner recognized the scent. To my knowledge, she never encountered the wolves before.

"The day my family were killed, I had gone down to La Push to visit one of my father's friends. In fact, I was forced to spend a lot of time down there after you guys left. This scent was everywhere, but it wasn't as noticeable to my human nose. Even Jacob Black, who I thought I would befriend, smelled like this," Bella explained as she looked at me questioningly.

"The men from La Push have a tendency to spontaneously turn into mutant wolves. Carlisle and the others encountered them seventy-five years before the last time we lived in Forks. But you already know that. Didn't the Black boy tell you about the Cold Ones and the Treaty," I replied ending with a question.

Instantly her face lit up with understanding. CSI processed the scene as we walked up. Bella had already sent a text to all the Enforcers to converge on the park. The two of us checked the perimeter while the human cops did their thing. It wasn't long before we found the trail the creature left behind.

Nothing about this felt right, it screamed trap. From the expression on my partner's face, she agreed with me. We should've waited for back up, but a blood curdling scream made us charge forward at vampire speed. The two of us erupted into a secluded clearing in the Northeast corner of the park.

A young co-ed was being drained by russet skinned girl. When the last drop of blood had been sucked out of the unfortunate girl, her attacker looked up. Her features were classic Native American but everything else about her was hellishly wrong. It wasn't just the bright crimson eyes of Newborn that stared at them, it was the fact that she smelled of dirty wet dog and rancid meat. Her body began to shake as she locked her gaze on Bella.

"You leech loving bitch; you ruined my life. Fist I get to be the only woman in my tribe to phase, which kills my father, next the stupid fucker I imprint on wants nobody else but you. When he tries to force himself on you, he gets banished and his old man commits suicide. I track your worthless hide here, killing anyone that reminded me of you along the way, only to be bitten by some psycho-bitch leech. Instead of dying like I should from the venom, I burn for three days and become what I'm supposed to kill. YOU. ARE. GOING. TO. DIE. BELLA SWAN," the Abomination crouched before us ranted.

"Now, now, Leah-pet, you wouldn't want to spoil your brothers' and sisters' fun, would you," a Hispanic female voice I'd know anywhere purred.

Maria stepped from behind the trees with two other vampires; a scarred Mike Newton and an ash colored female that stands just behind and to the right of my creator. There is more movement in the trees around and twenty-five Newborns tightened the noose around our necks. I spared Bella one last glance. The words Custer and Little Big Horn kept running through my mind. If we were going down, my partner and I were taking as many as possible with us.


	9. Chapter 9

**Family Ties**

_Disclaimer: The only thing I own is Willow._

Ch. 9: Remember the Alamo

_Bella_

I only spared a fraction of my mind to go into shock over seeing Mike Newton and Leah Clearwater here as vampires. Well Leah was some kind of wolf/vampire crossbreed, but that was beside the point. The rest of my mind was focused on the Hispanic vampire and her Newborns. Although I'd never seen a picture of her, she matched the description of Maria, a psychotic bitch that continued to try to claim more and more territory that my Family had continually needed to keep in check. She was also Jasper's Creator, so I knew this was personal for him.

Fortunately for me, no one, not even Maria, had seen me hit Dad's speed dial and drop my cell just after we arrived. The troops were already on their way, I just needed to keep Psycho, Bitch, Retriever and rest distracted until they arrived. The Newborns awaited their Mistress' order to attack along with Maria's companions. The whole time, she monologued like some two-bit James Bond villain. It was time to shut her up and have a little fun.

"Jazz, you take the 15 on the left flank and I'll take the 14 on the right. Then we head home, Bob's your Uncle and Fannie's your Aunt, our mates are screaming our names. Sound like plan," I said in my best over exaggerated Command voice.

"Sure, but why is Bob my Uncle? Never mind, the plan is no good because I don't know my left flank from my right flank," he responded with mock seriousness.

"What do mean you don't know your left flank from your right flank," I shot back incredulously.

"I flunked flank when I was in the Army," Jasper deadpanned.

"How could you flunk flank? Get the flunk out of here," I retorted good naturedly.

Maria had gotten beyond pissed at our banter and obviously thought we hadn't taken her seriously. She snarled, "Any last words before your insolent lives end."

Jasper and I looked at each other and yelled at the same time, "REMEMBER THE ALAMO!"

The two of us had already heard the imminent arrival of our reinforcements. As Maria finally realized her mistake, it was too late; ten Enforcers and the bulk of the Luna and Cullen Families, twenty-two vampires total, burst through the trees. The fight was on.

_Julian_

I had been in my study with Carlisle talking over the day's events as well as his thoughts of Joham's journals when the text message arrived on my cell phone for all Enforcers to converge on Golden Gate Park due to a possible out of control shapeshifter. Instantly both of our families were on their way to assist, except for Esme and Caitlin who stayed behind to watch Willow.

The Enforcers met up with us en route. When we were almost to the park, my cell phone went off. The ring tone was Bella's so I answered it after the first ring. Before I said a word, the conversation on the other end stopped me. Everyone fought to remain silent as we listened to the rant of first the Thing responsible for the animal attacks and then Maria.

All of us ran faster but we still heard what happened on the other end of the call with crystal clarity. Frank choked back a laugh when his sister interrupted the raving psychotic to banter with Jasper. Bella had always been a clever girl, she knew we were on our way and attempted to stall for time. We had been less than three yards from breaking through the tree line when Maria realized she was in trouble. She just hadn't known how screwed she truly was.

Archon waded through the Newborns and went straight for Mexican bitch. He had always been a firm believer in the idea of cutting off the head of an enemy, or army. Frank launched himself at a Native American girl as she had sprung for Bella. The two collided but she was faster and recovered first. Instead of attacking my son, when she locked eyes on him she just stared. She snapped out of it when a Newborn tried to attack Frank. Instantly, she transformed into a large grey wolf and attacked it then backed my son to the tree line before she took up a defensive position in front of him. Whenever he tried to move, the wolf growled at him.

I was almost sad that I hadn't gone into the fray, there was no need. Once we had entered the clearing Bella had taken charge and expertly directed the battle from its heart. Even Archon just watched with pride, once Maria had been subdued. He had called her my Valkyrie, and she lived up it. Carlisle stood beside me in awed silence at the sight of my daughter in action.

When everyone else finished with their fights, they turned their attention to Bella, who had squared off against two Newborns. The first unfortunate vampire that attempted to step in and help was hissed at. She ordered the others to stand down then focused her full attention on her unskilled and unpredictable opponents. The two fledglings rushed her without any thought other than destruction. That was their undoing. Bella flipped over them then landed on the back of one.

With very little effort, the creature was beheaded. His ally witnessed what transpired and showed remarkable restraint by surrendering. Bella made sure he watched as she tore his late comrade into small pieced that were fed to the bonfire Jane started. The petite Volturi agreed to take the Newborn back to Italy after my daughter saw his past and thought he might be gifted.

Frank's sudden gasp drew our attention as well as more than a few snickers from our assembly. The crossbreed, still in wolf form, licked his face then started to nuzzle her muzzle against his cheek. From the look on his face, it was what happened that made him gasp, but the understanding that his brothers and sister were not going to let him live it done. The wolf still refused to let him move. Jasper explained that it was giving off a lot of lust, so decided it was time to leave. The sound of shredding clothes was the last thing we heard before all of us broke into a run.

"I wonder if Leah will phase back to human before she ravages my big brother," Bella mused and several Enforcers, Sonny and Emmett Cullen stumbled as they started laughing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Family Ties**

Ch. 10: The morning after…

_Archon_

I stood off to the side of the Ball room in my grey cloak with black trim that was the symbol of honored service in the Volturi Guard. Maria was on her knees before me, the titanium collar and chain secured around her neck. Daedalus' mate, Jane, was on my right in her nearly black cloak. The Newborn that was returning to Italy with her and Leah Clearwater were on their knees before her, although neither of them were in chains.

Julian, our family, and the Cullen's had formed a single line in front of the small bandstand. The Enforcers were lined up in front of them, while Bella stood in front of both lines to demonstrate she protected all she cared about from any threat. She watched the door at the other end of the room with an ease that skillfully masked her Warrior's readiness.

The three Volturi Kings, Demitri, Felix, Alec, Sun Yi Khan – leader of the Khan Coven, and her mate Fu entered through the door in solemn procession. When the idea that there had been a Newborn army close to the city, Jane had notified her masters and they made arrangements to come here. Now that the fight was over, there was nothing left for them to do but dispense justice. Maria whimpered when she saw them and Aro, head of the Volturi, smiled at the sound.

"Typical men, always late and making the women do all the hard work. I expected better from you Mistress Khan," Bella called out as soon as the others were all in the room.

"So sorry, Grasshopper, late we may be but had I not come, then the men would undoubtedly be lost right now," Sun replied with a good natured laugh.

"How I do miss the days when women knew their place; behind a man being as silent as possible," Aro bantered back. Of the three Kings, he was the one with a decent sense of humor.

Julian spoke up and we finally got down to the business at hand.

_Aro_

The time had come to dispense justice. We may have missed the fight, but this part was just as rewarding. I watched as Archon dragged Maria before us. Her crimes were numerous and well known, so I had my retired servant skip the litany of charges. My brothers, Marcus and Ciaus touched my hands that we could Council. There was no point to this show either as we were going to execute the deluded villainess.

The Council was swift then I nodded to Archon to proceed. He in turn passed the honor to his descendent, Bella. Without preamble or sentimentality, the young one dispatched the criminal and had the pieces burning outside in less than a minute. We moved on to the next order of business.

Jane brought forth the first of the surviving members of Maria's army. He had been spared because he not only had the good sense to surrender, but Bella thought he might have a power. When they arrived back at the mansion, the assumption had been proven correct. The young one was a telepath, a much stronger ability than the late Edward Cullen. The Newborn, Robert, would be an excellent addition to the Guard.

The last piece of business was to pass judgment on the vampire/shapeshifter crossbreed, Leah Clearwater. Ciaus was adamant that she be destroyed for no other reason than she had the misfortune of changing into a wolf. Which in his eyes made her too close to the Children of the Moon for his tastes; Marcus, as per his usual, was uninterested one way or the other. I touched her hand then listened to every thought she ever had.

There had been so much pain in such a short amount of time. Losing her first love because he was a shapeshifter and had imprinted on her cousin. Then transforming herself which caused her father to have a heart attack and die. Plus many other tragic events; but as tragic as they might have been they were no excuse for murders she committed. I was about to pass sentence when Bella spoke up.

"My Lord, while none can argue that there is no excuse for her actions, there are some extenuating circumstances I believe are relevant," the young Luna offered with humility none in this modern age seemed to grasp. I nodded for her to proceed.

"The Enforcers and I have learned that the two co-eds in the park were part of a prostitution/home invasion ring. The woman that was killed while her child had slept in the next room had in fact abducted the girl from her preschool. Even her first victim was wanted in connection with a robbery in which the victim was killed. Leah has a debt that must be repaid. I purpose that she be confined to one of the cells below for the next two years, during which time she can get past the Newborn stage and learn to control whatever powers she may possess. Thereafter, she will best serve our community as one of the Enforcers. Leah has imprinted on my broodbrother, Frank, and I have no wish to see him mourn the loss of his new found mate. I've already seen the effects that the loss of a mate can have on one of our kind," Bella finished and I was impressed with the effort she put forth in coming up with her proposal as well as her compassion.

I gave my consent to her alternative then the crossbreed was led down to the cells by her mate. With the formalities over with, it was time to live a little as the saying went. There was no way I would pass up the chance to relax without Sulpicia constantly nagging at me. Ciaus felt the same way about Athenadora. Marcus would be miserable no matter what, he needed to finally get over the loss of my sister, Didyme.

A young woman with soft brown hair and a light tan walked into the room. Bella introduced her as an old High School friend, Angela Webber. It seemed the poor girl just had a bad break up with her boyfriend and came to San Francisco to forget about him. The two friends ran into each other while they were out shopping. From the look my brother was giving her, I knew Marcus would not be moping around anymore.

_Caitlin_

I watched with pride as my daughter pled the case of Leah to our Kings. Even Aro looked impressed. My youngest son and the Native girl held out little hope she would be spared from execution. My head shook imperceptibly as the mated pair headed down to the cells, the look in their eyes left little to the imagination. They would be enacting their very own Women in Prison movie shortly.

Mothers, even vampire mothers, shouldn't know about their children's sex lives. Esme and I shared a look of shared sympathy before we looked over at Lillie. They way she looked at my granddaughter, it was easy to see the thoughts of convents and chastity belts flash through her eyes.

Eventually, we all went our separate ways to enjoy what was left of the day.


	11. Chapter 11

**Family Ties**

Epilogue: Passing the Torch

_Rosalie_

Tears streaked down my cheeks as I rubbed my swollen belly. Carlisle just confirmed the both Lillie and I are having twins. When he had first started going over Joham's notes, he didn't think he would ever be able to make the process viable. Then Leah Clearwater came into the picture which changed everything. She maintained the ability to change into a wolf after becoming a vampire. Since a female's body needed to change during pregnancy, my father theorized that if he could examine the crossbreed's DNA, then he might just succeed. Three days after the fight with Maria, well over two years ago, Carlisle had a working formula but needed to test it out.

Esme volunteered to be the test subject. She was injected with a compound that was supposed to thaw out her internal organs and allow the necessary changes to occur for pregnancy. One month of trying and nine months after that, Charles Jackson Cullen was born. They named him after Bella's human father and the baby that my mother lost when she was still human. Much like Willow, he had brought great joy to our family. In fact, he became the bridge for the future merging of the Cullen and Luna families.

The first time my niece touched him, instant Soul Mate connection. Both sets of parents were thrilled that they wouldn't need to worry about who their children would end up with. I had to admit that Willow was very cute with him. At the moment, she is like a playmate/sister. As the two get older, the bond will change. From what Leah told us, it is similar to the imprinting done by shapeshifters.

Lillie and I made the choice to do the treatments this year, while Sasha, Caitlin and Jane opted to wait another couple of years. Alice went through it right after Carlisle confirmed Esme's pregnancy. She and Jasper had a baby girl, Lillian Marie Hale. The precious Angel had the perfect balance of her parents' features. Too bad she inherited her mother's love of fashion. Put her in anything not trendy and she threw a fit.

Emmett and Bella had gone out of their way to be overly supportive. They never missed a check-up or birthing class. If we craved anything at anytime, they went and got it without any complaints. Lillie believed this was Bella's payback for how the red head acted during her pregnancy, which made Lillie feel even guiltier.

Today was the day of a very special Conclave. Instead of being there in person, the two of us sat like a couple of beached whales and watched it on a video feed. Lillie sucked on a 64 ounce cup of Great White Shark's blood she made Bella fly all the way to Australia to get. I, on the other hand, had been slurping down an equally large cup of Lynx blood my doting husband had retrieved for me.

_Julian_

The past two years had brought great changes to our world. First the destruction of Maria had ultimately led to the destruction of all the Southern Covens. Then there had been Carlisle's breakthrough with vampire pregnancy. Sonny had moved to Italy to work for the Volturi to replace Jane, who had moved here to be with my broodbrother. Frank and Leah were on loan to the Khan Coven and lived in Shanghai. Jasper had become Chief of Detectives and current head of the Enforcers, which my daughter had expanded to thirty members; ten on the West Coast, ten in the Central States and ten on the East Coast. Archon now permanently resided in our vineyard upstate; we all spent weekends with him there. Too many things to be dwelt on now.

I had called a special Conclave for today which was sent via streaming video feed to the mansion, Volterra and Shanghai. With the exception of the Cullen's, all the other covens were nervous. Just as a reminder of who was in charge, I prolonged their discomfort by not delivering the news they had been brought her to hear. Cameron Fiori and his coven fidgeted the most out of everyone. Finally, I broke the silence.

"Friends, this is a most prestigious day. Like my Sire before me, I have decided to step down from my seat of power in favor of someone more capable. And like Archon, I will remain in strictly an advisory position. The question I was faced with after that choice was who best would serve in my vacant seat. For me, there was only one candidate qualified for the job. It is with great pleasure that I present to you the new head of the Luna Coven and Magistrate of the Americas, my daughter, Isabella Marie Luna," I pronounced with enthusiasm.

Bella strode into the room then sat at the head of the Conclave table. I watched as with Solomon like wisdom, she presided over the Conclave. She addressed every concern and assured all the covens present that she would keep the city, and the Americas, safe for out people. When the time came to dole out justice, she had done it with an even hand. My daughter was what I had always suspected, a natural leader. This was her time to shine.

THE END.


End file.
